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Associated Press

BETHEL- Federal officials are planning field work next summer at an abandoned Alaska mercury mine to stop large tailings piles from eroding into a nearby creek.

The Bureau of Land Management is planning the work at the Red Devil Mine 255 miles west of Anchorage. The work is intended to keep metals from getting into Red Devil Creek, and then the Kuskokwim River.

The BLM is also looking for a long-term solution. Options include doing nothing, putting a fence around the site to keep people and wildlife out, or putting the contaminated materials into a landfill of sorts. The last option would be shipping the contaminated material to special facilities in the Lower 48.

That's still in the study process, and a decision could be years away.